Tony Abbott bails on TV spot

TONY Abbott's office has vetoed his rival Malcolm Turnbull from replacing him on Channel Nine's Today Show after the Liberal leader dumped his regular spot.

In the latest example of the Coalition's "small target" strategy in the lead up to the election, Mr Abbott was missing from his breakfast slot on Friday.

After complaining that the Labor Party was "planting" negative stories about the Coalition in the Friday newspapers and then forcing Mr Abbott to cop the fallout on air, his office informed the program he would no longer appear weekly.

But when the Today show locked in the man he replaced as Liberal leader to replace him, Mr Abbott's office demanded Mr Turnbull withdraw from the arrangement.

Coalition insiders are deeply concerned that a media stumble by Mr Abbott remains one of the greatest threats to him ruining what many believe to be an unloseable election.

Paranoia has reached such heights that at a briefing of Coalition chiefs of staff in Canberra this week, Mr Abbott's chief of staff Peta Credlin told staff to stay off Twitter and watch out for waiters with recording devices, citing the covert recording of US Presidential candidate Mitt Romeny at a fundraiser.

Mr Romney was recorded saying people on welfare were "victims" who would always vote for President Obama, which proved a fatal blow to his campaign.

Ms Credlin told Coalition staffers that victory was within reach and it would be devastating to fall at the final hurdle.

The Liberal Party remains thrilled that former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will be making mischief every Friday on Channel 7's own breakfast TV program Sunrise, in a political headache for Julia Gillard. He has reunited with his old sparring partner Joe Hockey after Sunrise terminated Labor frontbencher Tony Burke's regular spot by email.

Mr Abbott has proved notoriously difficult for Sunday morning political television programs to book, with his communications director Tony O'Leary famed for starving the programs of talent and forcing Labor ministers on to "be the story".